Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, Finland successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the EU since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.

Geography :: Finland

Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total:338,145 sq km

land:303,815 sq km

water:34,330 sq km

country comparison to the world:
66

Area - comparative:

slightly more than two times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Montana

This is the population pyramid for Finland. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:

total dependency ratio:57.9(2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:25.9(2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:32(2015 est.)

potential support ratio:3.1(2015 est.)

Median age:

total:42.6 years

male:41 years

female:44.3 years(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
27

Population growth rate:

0.33%(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
167

Birth rate:

10.7 births/1,000 population(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
183

Death rate:

10.1 deaths/1,000 population(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
35

Net migration rate:

2.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
35

Population distribution:

the vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely poplulated

Urbanization:

urban population:85.4% of total population(2018)

rate of urbanization:0.42% annual rate of change(2015-20 est.)

Major urban areas - population:

1.279 million HELSINKI (capital)
(2018)

Sex ratio:

at birth:1.05 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

0-14 years:1.05 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

15-24 years:1.04 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

25-54 years:1.04 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

55-64 years:0.97 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

65 years and over:0.76 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

total population:0.97 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:

28.8 years(2015 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:

3 deaths/100,000 live births(2015 est.)

country comparison to the world:
181

Infant mortality rate:

total:2.5 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

male:2.7 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

female:2.4 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
218

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:81.1 years(2018 est.)

male:78.1 years(2018 est.)

female:84.2 years(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
33

Total fertility rate:

1.75 children born/woman(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
160

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

85.5%(2015)

note: percent of women aged 18-49

Health expenditures:

9.7% of GDP(2014)

country comparison to the world:
27

Physicians density:

3.2 physicians/1,000 population(2014)

Hospital bed density:

4.4 beds/1,000 population(2015)

Drinking water source:

improved:urban:100% of population

rural:100% of population

total:100% of population

unimproved:urban:0% of population

rural:0% of population

total:0% of population(2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access:

improved:urban:99.4% of population(2015 est.)

rural:88% of population(2015 est.)

total:97.6% of population(2015 est.)

unimproved:urban:0.6% of population(2015 est.)

rural:12% of population(2015 est.)

total:2.4% of population(2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:

22.2%(2016)

country comparison to the world:
80

Education expenditures:

7.2% of GDP(2014)

country comparison to the world:
17

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total:19 years(2015)

male:19 years(2015)

female:20 years(2015)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total:20.1%(2016 est.)

male:21.8%(2016 est.)

female:18.6%(2016 est.)

country comparison to the world:
65

Government :: Finland

Country name:

conventional long form:
Republic of Finland

conventional short form:
Finland

local long form:
Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland

local short form:
Suomi/Finland

etymology:
name may derive from the ancient Fenni peoples who are first described as living in northeastern Europe in the first centuries A.D.

amendments:
proposed by Parliament; passage normally requires simple majority vote in two readings in the first parliamentary session and at least two-thirds majority vote in a single reading by the newly elected Parliament; proposals declared "urgent" by five-sixths of Parliament members can be passed by at least two-thirds majority vote in the first parliamentary session only; amended several times, last in 2012
(2016)

citizenship by descent only:
at least one parent must be a citizen of Finland

dual citizenship recognized:
yes

residency requirement for naturalization:
6 years

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state:
President Sauli NIINISTO (since 1 March 2012)

head of government:
Prime Minister Juha SIPILA (since 28 May 2015)

cabinet:
Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament

elections/appointments:
president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 January 2018 (next to be held in January 2024); prime minister appointed by Parliament

description:
unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; 199 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 1 member in the province of Aland directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

highest courts:
Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (consists of the court president and 18 judges); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 21 judges including the court president and organized into 3 chambers); note - Finland has a dual judicial system - courts with civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction for litigation between individuals and administrative organs of the state and communities

judge selection and term of office:
Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court judges appointed by the president of the republic; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65

Aland Coalition (a coalition of several political parties on the Aland Islands)Center Party or Kesk [Juha SIPILA]Christian Democrats or KD [Sari ESSAYAH]Finns Party or PS [Jussi HALLA-AHO]Green League or Vihr [Ville NIINISTO]Left Alliance or Vas [Li ANDERSSON]]National Coalition Party or Kok [Petteri ORPO]Social Democratic Party or SDP [Antti RINNE]Swedish People's Party or SFP [Anna-Maja HENRIKSSON]

white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the blue represents the thousands of lakes scattered across the country, while the white is for the snow that covers the land in winter

National symbol(s):

lion; national colors: blue, white

National anthem:

name:
"Maamme" (Our Land)

lyrics/music:
Johan Ludvig RUNEBERG/Fredrik PACIUS

note: in use since 1848; although never officially adopted by law, the anthem has been popular since it was first sung by a student group in 1848; Estonia's anthem uses the same melody as that of Finland

Economy :: Finland

Economy - overview:

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita GDP almost as high as that of Austria and the Netherlands and slightly above that of Germany and Belgium. Trade is important, with exports accounting for over one-third of GDP in recent years. The government is open to, and actively takes steps to attract, foreign direct investment.

Finland is historically competitive in manufacturing, particularly in the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Finland excels in export of technology as well as promotion of startups in the information and communications technology, gaming, cleantech, and biotechnology sectors. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the cold climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export industry, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population.

Finland had been one of the best performing economies within the EU before 2009 and its banks and financial markets avoided the worst of global financial crisis. However, the world slowdown hit exports and domestic demand hard in that year, causing Finland’s economy to contract from 2012 to 2014. The recession affected general government finances and the debt ratio. The economy returned to growth in 2016, posting a 1.9% GDP increase before growing an estimated 3.3% in 2017, supported by a strong increase in investment, private consumption, and net exports. Finnish economists expect GDP to grow a rate of 2-3% in the next few years.

Finland's main challenges will be reducing high labor costs and boosting demand for its exports. In June 2016, the government enacted a Competitiveness Pact aimed at reducing labor costs, increasing hours worked, and introducing more flexibility into the wage bargaining system. As a result, wage growth was nearly flat in 2017. The Government was also seeking to reform the health care system and social services. In the long term, Finland must address a rapidly aging population and decreasing productivity in traditional industries that threaten competitiveness, fiscal sustainability, and economic growth.

note: Central Government Budget data; these numbers represent a significant reduction from previous official reporting

Taxes and other revenues:

53.1% (of GDP)(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
11

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):

-0.6% (of GDP)(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
64

Public debt:

61.3% of GDP(2017 est.)

62.9% of GDP(2016 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

country comparison to the world:
72

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.8%(2017 est.)

0.4%(2016 est.)

country comparison to the world:
41

Central bank discount rate:

1.25%(31 December 2017)

0%(31 December 2010)

note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

country comparison to the world:
131

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

1.61%(31 December 2017 est.)

1.79%(31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world:
188

Stock of narrow money:

$152.6 billion(31 December 2017 est.)

$124 billion(31 December 2016 est.)

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

general assessment:
modern system with excellent service; one of the most progressive in Europe; one of the highest broadband and mobile penetrations rates in the region; forefront in testing 5G networks; for 2025 and 2030 FttP (fiber to the home) and DOCSIS3.1 (new generation of cable services for high speed connections) technologies
(2017)

a mix of 3 publicly operated TV stations and numerous privately owned TV stations; several free and special-interest pay-TV channels; cable and satellite multi-channel subscription services are available; all TV signals are broadcast digitally; Internet television, such as Netflix and others, is available; public broadcasting maintains a network of 13 national and 25 regional radio stations; a large number of private radio broadcasters and access to Internet radio
(2017)

8,000 km(includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia; water transport used frequently in the summer and widely replaced with sledges on the ice in winter; there are 187,888 lakes in Finland that cover 31,500 km); Finland also maintains 8,200 km of coastal fairways(2013)

all Finnish men are called-up for military service the year they turn 18; at 18, women may volunteer for military service; service obligation 6-12 months; individuals enter the reserve upon completing their initial obligation; military obligation to age 60
(2016)

Transnational Issues :: Finland

Disputes - international:

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the former Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands